


Normal

by thankyouturtle



Series: Day in the Life [3]
Category: Blue Beetle (Comic), DCU - Comicverse, Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-16
Updated: 2011-04-16
Packaged: 2017-10-18 03:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/184552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thankyouturtle/pseuds/thankyouturtle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaime doesn't know Tim that well - just that he's smart, and cool. And, apparently, kind of weird.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Normal

"So..." Jaime began experimentally as he and Tim left the lab.

"So," Tim replied.

"So... good for Ted and Michael, I guess." He glanced sideways at Tim. He didn't know the other boy that well, didn't usually see him much outside of Science Club. He was in the same grade as Jaime, had an increasingly large and noisy group of friends that took up about three tables in the cafetaria, and as well as being in the Science Club was in the Photography Club, Chess Club and on the school newspaper. _And_ , unlike Jaime, he had an air of infinite cool about him despite being an enormous geek. None of that really told him how Tim was going to react to the Club President totally having a boyfriend now.

"I'm surprised it took them so long," Tim said.

"What?"

Tim shrugged his shoulders. "Dick - my brother - says they've been into each other since forever."

"Huh." Jaime was good at some things, but recognising UST was not at the top of that list. Heck, Milagro was better at it than he was, and she still believed in unicorns. "If they'd waited that long they could at least have waited 'til Ted had finished explaining the entire history of metaphysics." That was a joke - Ted had a habit of going on and on about any topic he was interested in, and when it came to science that was pretty much _everything_ \- but it was probably too much to expect Tim to crack a grin.

"We could always head to the library," Tim said. His voice was neutral, like he didn't care one way or the other. "We could probably find a pretty good guide on the 'net."

Jaime thought about it, then glanced down at his watch, and shook his head regretfully. "Sorry. I better get going - promised my mom I'd get some chores done this evening. Maybe tomorrow-"

"That's OK," Tim interrupted. "See you around."

"See you," Jaime repeated. Tim had seemed a little abrupt, even for him. Had it been Jaime mentioning his mother? Everyone knew all the Waynes were adopted; maybe it was just insensitive, talking about his own parents. But then, Tim didn't have to rush home to do the housework his parents didn't have time to do since they were too busy working to try and keep their son in a good school. It was all relative. Or something.

Usually Jaime'd catch the bus with Brenda, but on the days he stayed after school he brought his bike, instead. He didn't live too far away really - maybe twenty minutes' ride, if the traffic lights were in his favour. And also if he didn't get to his bike to find that it had a puncture. And if he hadn't left his repair kit at home that morning. "Frig!"  

"Frig isn't much of a swearword," said a quiet voice behind him - Tim. Jaime winced.

"I know, I know. But if you had my mother you wouldn't want to give anything more than a damn or two, either." Tim ducked his head, and for a second Jaime wondered if he'd upset him again by mentioning his mother, but then he noticed that Tim was actually smiling, hesitantly, and Jaime felt himself relax. "I don't suppose you're here to announce that you're secretly a wizard specialising in fixing tyres?" Tim shook his head, but he also reached into his pocket for his cellphone.

"I think I know someone who might help," he said, and his fingers flew over the keypad. "My friend Bart," hm added. "Do you know him?"

The name was sort of familiar. Jaime had a vague mental image of a slender boy with a shock of thick brown hair. "I think so," he said cautiously.

Tim's phone peeped. "Bart," he announced, and he gave that shy smile again. "He said he'll be here as soon as he can."

"That's really nice of you - and him," Jaime said. "Mom'd understand, but I hate being later than I have to be."

"Do you mind... having to help at home?" Tim sounded nothing but curious. "Um - only we've always had maids, I've never really needed to..."

Of course you haven't, Jaime though, half-amused. You live in a freaking mansion. "Not really, I guess. I mean, Mom does shift work, and Dad's usually pretty tired at the end of the day, so... Plus now that my sister's old enough to do her share of chores it just feels kind of - normal."

"Could I... come see your house?" Tim sounded hesitant, and when Jaime glanced at him in surprise he flushed, although he didn't say anything else to explain his question.

"If your friend can fix my bike, I'll give you an all access tour of Chez Reyes." He was grateful, after all, and luckily he was saved from answering any more off-kilter questions by the arrival of Bart. He was the boy Jaime'd been thinking of, although he didn't think he'd seen him before standing on the seat of a mountain bike, hapharzardly steering with one hand and holding his hair out of his eyes with the other.

"Tim, hey! Hi, Jaime, right? I've done the same thing dozens of times. I actually have an extra repair kit in my locker now 'cos Max was tired of me calling him after school to say I was going to need a lift home. Luckily for you I was still here. Did you know the library just got the entire Tomorrow series? I thought there were only three! Pass me those scissors, will you? Anyway, I'd just started the fourth book when I got Tim's text, and then I remembered that actually I was supposed to be meeting Iris after school today anyway, so I had to call Wally and ask him to pick her up, which he'd done because it was actually his turn. I thought it was Wednesday. There, all done."

Jaime didn't think he'd ever meet someone who monologued so well, and certainly no one who could talk that much while working. Bart had deftly patched Jaime's flat tyre, pumped both of them up for good measure, and was back on his own bike already. "Thanks so much!" The words seemed a little inadequate. "If I can do something for you..."

Bart waved him off. "Don't worry about it, Jaime! I owed Tim a favour anyway. See you around!" And he was off again.

"That was - wow, that was really nice of him," Jaime remarked to Tim.

"Yeah, Bart's like that." And that was all Tim seemed to be prepared to say on the matter, since he fell quiet and gave Jaime an expectant look instead. Right, home time.

"How are you going to-" he began, and Tim gestured to the next bike in the rack. Well, that explained him turning up in the first place, anyway.

Navigating the traffic as they rode through the city meant that there wasn't much time to talk on the way, which suited Jaime, as he was busy wondering why Tim had taken this sudden interest in his private life. Some bizarre wish to see how the other half lived? At any rate, clearly Tim was not only smart and cool but also _weird_. And was it just Jaime, or did Tim seem to know where they were heading with Jaime prompting for any directions?

He grip on his handlebars tightened. OK. He'd give the weird rich white kid a cookie and a glass of milk, or whatever he was expecting, and then send him on his way. And please _please_ please let this not be a day when Mom got home early and invited Jaime's guest to stay for dinner.

But by the time they'd both secured their bikes and Jaime had welcomed Tim into the house, the panicked feeling he'd had was gone. Tim was quite content to sit quietly on the couch, eating a cookie and having Milagro explain to him - with great feeling - how hard it was having a doofus like Jaime as an older brother. When Jaime mentioned that he had to sort the laundry, Tim readily took the hint and said he'd need to head home. "Thanks," he said tentatively as he unlocked his bike again. "I- just wanted to see what normal looked like."

"Normal?" Jaime repeated skeptically. "I'm not sure that word means what you think it means."

"Normal," and Tim sounded more certain this time. He swung a leg over his bike. "See you tomorrow," he called, and left.

"Who was that?" Milagro demanded when Jaime got back inside. He considered telling her that if she'd let him get a word in edgewise earlier, she'd already know, but thought better of it.

"Someone who doesn't know how lucky he is, I think," he told her. Milagro screwed up her face.

"Well you don't know how lucky _you_ are to have me!" Jaime gave a deep sigh, and then tickled her until she squealed.


End file.
